[nabs-l] One can live without disability services and others

Tue Dec 16 01:59:08 UTC 2014

Hi to all.  I for the most part have either taken college tests at our
college testing center with a reader who will read me the test, and
write down my answers.  There have been other times where the teachers
have orally given me the tests.  That is so wrong that blind students
would try and use there blindness to cheat on tests.  I have never
cheated on a test in my life.  If you cheet on a test, you pretty much
always get found out, and besides if you cheet on an exam, you don't
really learn the needed material for the exam.  It has also been my
experience regarding using a disability services center, that as I
went through my college classes, that I used there services less and
less as the years went on.  I'm not afraid to ask teachers for the
help I need.  I have found that using emails has helped me a lot when
either sending my teachers their assignments, or the teachers could
just also send me things like handouts or sylibe

On 12/15/14, Karl Martin Adam via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> As someone who is going to become a college professor, I would
> never allow a student to take a test unproctored.  I've had
> professors offer to let me do that, and once or twice I have just
> out of convenience, but I have too many blind friends who use
> their blindness as an excuse to take tests on their notetakers or
> worse yet at home so they can cheat by looking at the book and
> their notes.  The level of cheating that goes on in DSS offices
> is horrifying (I know, I've worked there) without even getting
> into giving blind people the chance to take in class exams as
> takehomes.
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: Michael D Ausbun via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> To: Gerardo Corripio <gera1027 at gmail.com>, "National Association
> of BlindStudents mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 22:28:37 +0000
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] One can live without disability services
> and others
>
> Hello Gerardo:
> 	First, I’d like to say that your experience is admirable and
> definitely worthwhile and one that ought to be heard; after
> all, as you pointed out, a large majority of blind
> individuals belief or seem to believe: if there is no
> disability service, then failure is inevitable.
> 	With that said, however, I must point out a few things which
> are necessary, in order for something like your story to
> work successfully.
> 1)	A student must have family support. In some cases,
> especially when an individual is not an only child, family
> members may not always be able or willing to assist a
> student to the degree which is necessary (I.E. reading
> papers, recording books etc.). If there is zero family
> support, the chance of success is exponentially decreases,
> for both sited folks and blind.
> 2)	A student must have professor(s) trust. I also have had
> occasions where professors have given me the exam to take
> home or to do away from my disability center. In my case, it
> was either because the professor did not want to deal with
> the Disability services office or they did not trust the
> disability services office (professors are interesting
> creatures). In either case, if a professor gives you the
> exam like this, they have to trust that you will not cheat
> in some way shape or form. Many students, if they do not
> advocate well, never reach this level of trust with their
> instructors.
> 3)	Technology rocks, that is, if you manage to get your hands
> on technology which can help you succeed, then you may not
> need a disability center; however, most students don’t have
> the technology, which you stated, so most need the DSS in
> order to succeed in this case.
> Of course, there are other ways for individuals to do things
> without the disability services getting involved; for instance, I
> always request my books from bookshare, so I don’t have to worry
> about the disability center not getting them to me on time. I
> think though, the key fact is that the disability center provides
> students with a safety blanket. You don’t have to advocate as
> much nor do you have to stress as much. If you go through a
> disability services center, then nine times out of ten they
> assist you in shouldering your burden. This, for a lot of people,
> can and probably does, act as relief.
> 	I hope I addressed your concerns adequately.
> Respectfully,
> Michael
>
> ________________________________________
> From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Gerardo
> Corripio via nabs-l [nabs-l at nfbnet.org]
> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2014 1:57 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: [nabs-l] One can live without disability services and
> others
>
>   HI guys
> It's interesting how you've guys talked about how the world comes
> crashing down when the Disability service in the college doesn't
> Braille
> out tests, make books available etc., so I wonder how do you
> think I
> managed in a country where disability services aren't heard of or
> known?
> By talking with the teachers, suggesting techniques for instance
> at
> first, they allowed me to take the tests home, and have my
> parents read
> me the tests and i'd answer on the computer and print them out,
> turning
> them to the teachers the next day as if it were homework; as the
> semesters wore on, the teachers graduated to seeing them in the
> classroom in a time when my classmates were out eating lunch or
> other
> activities, and orally test me; another time, I installed Jaws on
> the
> college's computer and I'd go and take the test there with the
> teacher
> in that she'd read me the questions, and I'd type in the answers,
> printing it out afterwards, generally before my classmates took
> the test
> in the classroom, but can you believe when the tech guys did
> computer
> maintainance, they erased my copy of Jaws?
> Books and other written assignments? During the first semester or
> so, my
> parents mostly, but also from time to time other family members,
> recorded the chapters on cassettes, to which I'd listen, and take
> notes
> on an old Toshiba Laptop running Keysoft my parents had bought
> while in
> the States; as the second semester ended, however, I guess I was
> lucky
> because the university donated for my use, a PC with kurzweil1000
> and a
> scanner, to which I afterwards put on Jaws and did all my
> assignments on
> there; they also donated me a NoteTaker, the Braille Lite 2000
> for
> taking notes etc; as I say again, maybe it was luck, because I've
> contacted other college students, and they only dream of having
> these
> technologies! I guess it's one of the advantages of having gone
> to a
> private college, and not a public university? So there you have
> it;
> perseverance/determination, wins! Also support from family
> mostly, and
> teachers, except for those who dinde'didn't believe in my
> abilities and
> made the semester a nightmare! So what do you guys think? are
> these
> experiences worthwhile?
>
> --
> Enviado desde mi lap
> Gerardo J Corripio Flores Psicólogo, Terapéuta Reiki
> Saludos desde Tampico, Tamaulipas México
> RompiendoBarreras espacio de psicología/Superación Personal
> Sábados 10PM México http://radiogeneral.com ¡los esperamos!
>
>
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